Delightfully witty and richly informative, this book by the author of the classic Doctor in the House is a collection of anecdotes describing how the historical breakthroughs in medicine were really made. Using hilarious stories, based on actual facts, Gordon shows that most monumental discoveries were originally accidents.

A must for hypochondriacs, doctors, medical students, and anyone fascinated by the world of medicine, The Alarming History of Medicine is clever, revealing -- and all true.

"(An) instructive, entertaining lode of superstitions and facts". -- Publishers Weekly

"Gordon deals wittily and informatively with the past as well as the present in this set of anecdotes on some of medicine's great achievements and achievers". -- Booklist

"A book that knows both the medical profession and the human funny bone". -- Hartford Courant